THE
T H E M A G A Z I N E O F F R A N C H I S E B U S I N E S S S E R V I C E S | 2019 ISSUE 4
Mike &
Mike &
Lori Mastro
Lori Mastro
share their BWW
journey in the
Franchisee Spotlight
PAGE 14
Mike &
Mike &
Lori Mastro
Lori Mastro
Pandemic Consequences
Complicate Development
Decisions
PAGE 20
McLane Foodservice ofers its sincere gratitude to the
BUFFALO WILD WINGS franchisees for their years
of partnership and success in growing together.
© 2021 McLane Company, Inc. All rights reserved.
PROUD TO BE YOUR
WINGMAN SINCE 2012
TABLE OF CONTENTS
FBS Board of Directors
Wray Hutchinson
Chairman
James Bitzonis
Vice Chairman
Jenny Beaudoin
Director
Brian Carmody
Director
Steve Grube
Director
Roz Mallet
Director
Bobby Pancake
Director
Larry Podlogar
Director
Christy Williams
Executive Director
FBS Editorial Board
Sean Ireland
Editor-in-Chief
seani@myfbsonline.org
Rachel Jackson
Managing Editor
rachelj@myfbsonline.org
Savannah Daly
Associate Editor
savannahd@myfbsonline.org
Advertising Sales
Jeff Reynolds
Director of Business Partner Relations
jeffr@myfbsonline.org
678-797-5163
Christy Rowan
Vendor Sales and Development Manager
christyr@myfbsonline.org
678-439-2284
Design and Layout
Kristen Thomas
KT Graphic Design
ktgraphicdesign@gmail.com
Headquarters
1701 Barrett Lakes Blvd. NW
Suite 180
Kennesaw, GA 30144
Phone: 678-797-5161
Fax: 678-797-5171
Franchise Business Services publishes The SCORE.
Any reproduction, in whole or in part, of the
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In keeping with our commitment to the
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Copyright© 2021
Printed in the U.S.A.
www.myfbsonline.org
ON THE COVER
Mike and Lori Mastro have been franchisees with
Buffalo Wild Wings® since the 1990s. They’ve scaled
back locations to focus on making one the best it
can be and prepare for future growth. Read more
from the Mastros about their BWW® journey in the
Franchisee Spotlight on page 14.
COLUMNS
2
Chairman’s Column
DEPARTMENTS
4
FBS Member News
11 One Topic: 10 Facts
6
Recognitions
13 Look, Listen, Read
7
Event Calendar
14 Franchisee Spotlight
FEATURES
8
Team Up for Kids Fundraiser Sets Records in October
12 Spotlight on the 117th Congress: Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-NJ-05)
16 BWW Teams Managing Difficult Supply Chain Challenges
by Sean Ireland, FBS director of communications
20 Pandemic Consequences Complicate Development Decisions
by Sean Ireland
24 Slips, Trips and Falls: Three Injury Hazard and Prevention Tips
by Lockton Affinity
26 Make a Thoughtful Response to Employee Labor Activity
by Douglas H. Duerr, Elarbee Thompson Sapp and Wilson LLP
28 Are You Prepared for Year-End Payroll Adjustments?
by Stacy Smith, Mize CPAs Inc.
29 Trust is the Critical Element
by Dan Coughlin, The Coughlin Co.
30 I Think What You Meant to Say Was ‘Thank You’
by Dennis Snow, Snow & Associates Inc.
31 As COVID-19 Went, So Went the Nation: The Results of the 2020
American Time Use Survey
by Laura Stack, The Productivity Pro®
DIRECTORIES
10 Associate Member Listing
32 Advertisers Guide and Editorial Calendar
2021 Issue 4
2021 Issue 4
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THESCORE
Celebrate the New Year With
Hope and Determination
As we take stock of where we stand
at the end of 2021, we understand that
our businesses have faced another year of
unprecedented hurdles. Te coronavirus
pandemic continues to afect all that we
do in ways that were hard to imagine two
years ago.
While COVID-19 infections
continue to ebb and fow, we are also
contending with a long-term labor
shortage. Finding and keeping our teams
at full strength remains an ongoing chal-
lenge not only at our Bufalo Wild Wings®
sports bars, but also across the restaurant
industry and the economy at large. Te
labor situation is also one contributing
factor in the supply chain shortages that
our businesses have encountered in the
last 12 months. Who would have thought
that we would have to worry about
our BWW®s facing regular shortages of
chicken wings and ranch dressing?
Te good news is that no matter
what the challenge, our teams are stepping
up every day to meet them. Sometimes
the solutions are not ideal, but they are
the best we can do given these unusual
circumstances. In fact, in this issue of Te
SCORE, you’ll read about how many indi-
vidual Bufalo Wild Wings teams often
work together to overcome commodity
and supply shortfalls and make sure that
our guests get the best experience we can
give them.
Tere’s a great lesson there. Our
people are stepping up when needed,
adapting to the difculties and working
harder than ever to overcome them. Be
sure to take time and thank them for what
they are doing in trying times. Imagine
what success they can achieve when they
apply the lessons learned from the last two
years to a better business environment!
Taking stock of the past naturally
means considering what may be ahead.
Obviously, we are not through the
pandemic, and in addition to what
we’re currently experiencing, there are
obstacles yet to come. Te frst on the
horizon is the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA)’s vaccine
mandate for employers with 100 or more
employees, which adds yet another layer
of regulation that our businesses must
manage. Enforcement by OSHA could
begin in January and February if the
mandate is upheld by the courts.
Even given today’s difcult condi-
tions, as business owners and entrepre-
neurs, we should be prepared to move
forward with enthusiasm and optimism.
Te road may continue to be difcult in
the short term, but I have faith that the
combination of a great brand and our
steadfast dedication to our businesses will
be rewarded with long-term success.
As you consider where you stand
moving into the new year, celebrate your
achievements and plan the adjustments
you need to move forward on better
footing. Yesterday is over, and today
is a new day to make the best of the
circumstances we face. Tomorrow is full of
possibilities.
I wish you all a very prosperous and
healthy 2022!
Wray Hutchinson
he turn of the calendar to a new year is
often a time of reflection and evaluation.
We consider where we stand after
another year of challenges, triumphs,
mistakes and accomplishments, and we often make
adjustments that we hope will carry us forward
toward personal improvement.
2021 Issue 4
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THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
wesome Holdings LLC has developed a creative and fun way
to raise money for Team Up for Kids while also bringing
team members and their families closer together at the company’s
Bufalo Wild Wings® locations.
At Awesome Holdings’ Nashua, New Hampshire, sports
bar, the company hosted a Pie Your Manager night on Oct. 18.
Te event was developed to beneft the Bufalo Wild Wings
Foundation’s Team Up for Kids Fundraiser. Team members
donated $10 to throw a whipped cream pie in the face of one of
the sports bar’s managers. Tey could donate $20 to throw one at
Regional Manager Ben Lee.
“We made this a family afair where our team members
brought their kids and signifcant others for the event,” said Jay
Johnston, general manager of the sports bar. “Tere was pizza
and soda ofered. Tis was also a great way to celebrate the
holidays with our families together.”
About 30 people attended, and 17 cans of whipped cream
were used to pie the managers. More importantly, over $400 was
raised during the event and was part of a total of $2,500 raised
for the foundation at the restaurant during October.
Tis was the Nashua location’s frst time to try “Pie Your
Manager,” but the Awesome Holdings BWW sports bar in
Manchester, New Hampshire, has done it twice.
“We were very pleased with the success of this event, and it
was great to see the team get so invested in helping the commu-
nity. It was a great team-building event with an even greater
cause,” Johnston said. “We will hold another one of these events
in the future because it was such a fun time for us all.”
Awesome Holdings Location Raises
Money with ‘Pie Your Manager’ Night
Managers at Awesome Holdings’ Nashua, New Hamphire, location
raised more than $400 with a Pie Your Manager event.
ootball season is something that many people look forward to
each year. Bufalo Wild Wings® restaurants across the country
love hosting these fans, whether they are supporting their local
high school, college or professional teams.
For High 5 Hospitality, football season was back in full
swing this year for several of its restaurants in Delaware. A local
sports radio show, “Delaware Live Sports Weekly,” broadcast
from several of High 5 Hospitality’s restaurants in September and
October, including the Christiana, Middletown, Rehoboth and
Dover stores. Te locations of the show depended on where the
biggest game was each week.
Airing each Wednesday at 7 p.m., the show took place
live from Bufalo Wild Wings and covered high school sports
rankings, recaps, highlights and more. Coaches and players were
interviewed during the show, which was always streamed on the
Delaware Live YouTube channel.
Te company saw an increase in guests on Wednesdays for
the show. “Everyone loves going out and supporting their local
teams, especially if that team was going to be featured on that
week’s show,” said Samantha Jenkins, social media specialist
for High 5 Hospitality. “Sports fans tend to love wings, so the
partnership is a perfect match.”
Delaware Live has been partnering with High 5 Hospitality for
several years now. High 5 Hospitality is honored to be the restau-
rant group that brings the Delaware sports community together
each year. Shining a spotlight on high school student-athletes was
especially important in 2021 because for the past year and a half, it’s
been difcult to give them their time to shine.
“Seeing the community be able to bond over wings and
local sports teams was really special,” said Jenkins. “Our partner-
ship with “Delaware Live Sports Weekly” has been mutually
benefcial, and they’re a great organization to work with.”
Buffalo Wild Wings Restaurants Across
Delaware Host Local Sports Radio Show
The Delaware Live Sports
Weekly show took place at
High 5 Hospitality BWW
restaurants across Delaware
this fall.
THESCORE |
2021 Issue 4
MEMBER NEWS
n Nov. 6, the Manchester Fire Department in New
Hampshire responded to a serious house fre. Capt. Steve
DesRuisseaux was badly burned in the fre while attempting to
rescue the residents. He endured second- and third-degree burns
to 35-40% of his body and was fown to Massachusetts General
Hospital in Boston to receive treatment.
Members of the community raised money for his hospital
bills at a Bufalo Wild Wings® Eat Wings Raise Funds program
the week of Nov. 15 at franchisee Awesome Holdings LLC’s
restaurants. Regional Manager Ben Lee met with Lt. Stephen
Pearson of the Manchester Fire Department, a regular guest of
the sports bar, to brainstorm ways to support DesRuisseaux.
Te duo came up with the idea to hold the fundraiser for
an entire week at three of Awesome Holdings’ locations rather
than a one-day fundraiser at one location. Tis helped ease the
pressure on BWW® staf and gave supporters options to dine in
or carry out across New Hampshire.
From Nov. 15-21, the three restaurants in Manchester,
Concord and Nashua brought in almost 500 checks that supported
the cause, totaling $3,000 to be donated to DesRuisseaux and
his family. For Awesome Holdings’ Lee, the best part of hosting
this event was seeing how excited the staf members were to help
facilitate a fundraiser for a great cause and seeing how many
members of the community showed their support.
DesRuisseaux was released from Massachusetts General
Hospital on Nov. 29 and was welcomed back to Manchester with
a procession by local fre and police. In an interview with Boston
CBS Afliate WBZ, DesRuisseaux said it has been a strange
feeling being the one in need of medical attention instead of
being the one to help those in distress.
“I’m always on the other side of this, so for me, relying on so
many people, it’s not normal for me,” he said. “I’m just happy I’ve
had such a great support system. I can’t thank everybody enough.”
Lee and the rest of the Awesome Holdings team were
honored to help DesRuisseaux and his family. “Tese events are
what makes this job so rewarding,” he said. “Being able to help
others and see the outpouring of support by the community is a
great feeling.”
Buffalo Wild Wings in Manchester,
New Hampshire, Hosts Fundraiser
for Injured Fire Captain
Members and supporters of
the Manchester Fire Relief
Association represented many
of the guests who supported the
fundraiser at BWW.
Capt. Steve DesRuisseaux of the
Manchester Fire Department
was released from the hospital
three weeks after sustaining
serious burns.
2021 Issue 4
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THESCORE
MEMBER NEWS
n the spring, High 5 Hospitality,
operated by franchisee Bobby Pancake,
created a new initiative to attract
candidates to work at its restaurants. Te
company operates eight Bufalo Wild
Wings® sports bars across Maryland
and Delaware, as well as several other
restaurant concepts.
Candidates are encouraged to fll out an
application on www.High5Hospitality.com
and to put the name of the person who
referred them on their application under
the “referral” section. Once the new
person has been employed for 100 days
at any of High 5 Hospitality’s sports bars,
the team member earns $100 cash.
“We value team member input
when it comes to who they want to work
with. Tere’s no better way to ensure
co-workers will enjoy their time at work
than by having people refer their friends
or family to the same job,” said Samantha
Jenkins, social media specialist for High 5
Hospitality.
Te company spreads the word
about the referral program through
emails, social media and word of mouth.
Te details and physical fyers are sent to
general managers, who then distribute
the information and fyers to their team
members. High 5 Hospitality also posts
about the referral bonus on its social
media outlets and mentions it in the
monthly company newsletter.
After the success of the initial
program launch, the company decided to
expand the program at certain locations
until the end of 2021. It is ofering
an even larger incentive of $1,000 for
candidates that get hired and stay on
board for one year. Not only does the
referring team member get $1,000
throughout the course of the year, but so
does the candidate.
Te company also created a program
specifc to managers – referring team
members will earn $3,000 for any
referred management candidate that gets
hired as a manager and stays for a year,
while the management candidate will
receive $2,000 for staying on for a year.
Since its creation in April, the
program has 197 referrals. It has been
a great way for High 5 Hospitality to
attract new candidates while also giving a
voice to current team members.
“When we hire folks, it’s because
we see something great in them,” said
Jenkins. “Tere is some truth to the old
saying ‘birds of a feather fock together.’
So, if you hire one great team member,
there is potential for them to bring along
other great team members.”
High 5 Hospitality Implements Employee Referral Program
High 5 Hospitality team members show off their $100 cash bonuses for referring new job candidates.
esnik (Bes) Krasniqi began his
career with Four M Franchising at
the Bufalo Wild Wings® in Stamford,
Connecticut, in 2010 as an hourly
employee. He exceled in every depart-
ment, working his way up to assistant
manager of the Milford restaurant before
being promoted to general manager at
his home store in Stamford.
In January of 2020, Krasniqi’s
youngest brother, Besim, went to a
walk-in health clinic with dizziness,
blurred vision and fu-like symptoms.
Te doctor took his vitals and immedi-
ately noticed something wrong. Besim
was transported by ambulance to Yale
Hospital and spent three weeks in the
intensive care unit. It was determined
that his kidneys had failed, and he would
need a transplant to survive.
Bes immediately started the testing
process in hopes that he could donate
one of his kidneys to his brother. After
a grueling four months of testing, it was
determined that Bes was a match. Te
lifesaving surgery took place last spring,
and both brothers have made a full
recovery.
“Bes is an incredibly unselfsh
person. He is always willing to help in
any situation,” said Four M Franchising
President Jim Bitzonis. “Bes has been
with us for over 10 years, and I’ve gotten
to know him pretty well. I’m amazed by
his generosity, work ethic and commit-
ment to his team, his family and our
company. We are very fortunate and
grateful to have him.”
Krasniqi has been back to work and
continues to excel daily.
Four M Franchising Team Member Donates Kidney to Brother
Besnik Krasniqi
has worked
for Four M
Franchising for
11 years. He
recently donated
a kidney to his
youngest brother.
THESCORE |
2021 Issue 4
EVENT CALENDAR
FBS Summit
May 9-11, 2022
Hyatt Regency Coconut Point
Bonita Springs, Florida
ormer Franchise Business Services
(FBS) Vice Chairman Mark Jones
was honored by his fellow franchisees at
the FBS membership meeting Oct. 27
at the Bufalo Wild Wings® corporate
convention.
Jones, who had served as FBS vice
chairman since 2014, stepped down
from the role at the meeting. He was
replaced by Jim Bitzonis of Four M
Franchising LLC.
Jones, an attorney, joined with his
brother, Mike, and other partners to
become a BWW® franchisee in 2002.
Teir company operates 36 Bufalo Wild
Wings sports bars and employs nearly
2,000 people.
At the meeting, FBS Chairman
Wray Hutchinson presented Jones
with an award recognizing the time
and service he gave to FBS during his
terms in ofce. Jones has been extremely
involved in the planning and organiza-
tion of the annual FBS Summit and
helped with outside counsel on the
negotiation of several legal contracts with
Bufalo Wild Wings.
While no longer serving as vice
chairman, Jones will remain involved in
FBS.
Jones Honored for Service
as FBS Vice Chairman
Former FBS Vice Chairman Mark Jones,
left, accepts an award from FBS Chairman
Wray Hutchinson during the FBS member-
ship meeting in Las Vegas in October.
ragedy struck the Sioux Falls, South
Dakota, B-Dubs® family on May 8.
Tree team members were involved in a
devastating car crash. Javier Velasquez,
17, and Pascal Niyonkuru, 20, lost their
lives on the scene. Gia Elumbaring and
her boyfriend at the time sustained
life-threatening injuries. Both Bufalo
Wild Wings® and the community have
rallied to support her recovery.
“As a leader, honestly, I had to
take a moment. In one ride home, our
B-Dubs family had changed. We lost two
members and had another sustain serious
injury. Right away we needed to take
care of the staf and address that this was
going to be something huge. I’d worked
with Javi and Pascal for two years and
Gia for months, and I have two kids at
home. Tinking about their lives cut so
short and Gia’s changed so drastically,
I needed to make sure I could get the
staf where they needed to be,” General
Manager Randy Peterson said.
Franchise owners Todd and Susan
LaHaise supported their Sioux Falls team
members. Tey did some immediate
things for the victims’ families and
planned to do something big for Gia
once she began to recover. Gia underwent
multiple surgeries and extensive physical
therapy while looking forward to her
senior year of high school. Meanwhile,
her BWW® family planned a three-day
fundraiser to help her with medical
expenses.
Te fundraiser occurred in late
August. For every boneless wing sold,
25 cents were donated to Gia. Sunday
was the main event, with Games Galore
providing infatables for the kids.
Washington High School students
supported their classmate by supervising
the games. Local rock/country cover
band Eclipse performed a small outdoor
concert, and Big Country 92.5 FM
broadcast live on site. About $10,000 was
raised.
In 2022, LaHaise plans to honor
the team members who lost their lives
through a scholarship program at
Washington High School.
Buffalo Wild Wings in Sioux Falls Holds
Fundraiser for Team Member in Car Crash
A three-day event in August raised money to pay medical expenses for Gia Elumbaring.
MEMBER NEWS
2021 Issue 4
|
THESCORE
uring the month of October, sports
bars raised $1.38 million to support
the Bufalo Wild Wings Foundation
mission to “Fuel Champions of the Next
Generation.” Tis is the most raised
during the yearly one-month campaign
and is a remarkable accomplishment
given the current operational challenges.
Other frsts for this campaign include
two sports bars raising more than
$40,000!
Funds raised will directly beneft the
local communities in which they were
raised. For the frst time ever, franchisees
and company feld leadership will have
the opportunity to nominate local
youth-serving organizations to receive
these funds. Tey can continue to support
their local Boys & Girls Club if desired
or select another nonproft that is doing
great work to beneft the youth in their
community. Te Bufalo Wild Wings
Foundation will continue to support Boys
& Girls Clubs of America’s ALL STARS
program with a $1 million donation.
Tank you to those who participated
in the Team Up for Kids fundraiser. Your
support will help change the lives of kids.
Te foundation is excited to see what
organizations you will support in your
community and looks forward to sharing
stories of how these grants are impacting
kids across the country.
Team Up for Kids Fundraiser
Sets Records in October
For the first time ever,
franchisees and company
field leadership will have
the opportunity to nominate
local youth-serving
organizations to receive
these funds.